How to Write 枒 (yā) — Meaning “forked branch”

Imagine a tree (木) with a tooth (牙) growing out of its trunk, but the tooth is actually a forked branch. This unusual image helps you remember that 枒 means a forked branch, with 木 for tree and 牙 for the shape of the fork.

Write the left radical 木 first (horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling), then the right part 牙 (horizontal, vertical hook, left-falling, right-falling). Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider; a common mistake is making 牙 too tall or closing the vertical hook too tightly, which makes the fork shape unclear.

枒 has the right side 牙 (tooth), meaning forked branch, while 朱 has a horizontal line and dot through the middle of 木, meaning red. 朴 has the right side 卜 (divination), meaning simple or unadorned wood. Visually, 枒 looks like a tree with a forked hook, whereas 朱 has a crossbar and 朴 has a small vertical stroke below the tree.

枒 is not part of the HSK vocabulary and is rarely used in everyday modern Chinese. It appears mainly in classical literature or local dialects to describe forked branches, such as in the word 枒杈 (yā chā) meaning a forked stick used for support or as a tool. There are no special cultural celebrations tied to this character.

Common words containing 枒 include: 枒杈 (yā chā) — forked branch; fork; 枒子 (yā zi) — forked branch; 枒枒 (yā yā) — forked; branching out.